Public exam school established on April 23, 1635, making it both the oldest public school in America and the oldest existing school in the United States
General Information
Closed weekends and school holidays
Public visits available during scheduled open houses and tours only
Open house tours typically held mid-October through February
How to Get There
From Downtown Boston (3 mi): Take MA-28 W or Boylston St toward Fenway, continue onto Brookline Ave, then turn right onto Avenue Louis Pasteur to reach Boston Latin School.
Overview
The Boston Latin School is a public exam school in Boston, Massachusetts. It was established on April 23, 1635, making it both the oldest public school in America and the oldest existing school in the United States. Its curriculum follows that of the 18th century Latin school movement, which holds the classics to be the basis of an educated mind.
Alumni
Boston Latin has graduated notable Americans in the fields of politics (both local and national), religion, science, journalism, philosophy, and music. Of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence, five were educated at Latin: Adams, Franklin, Hancock, Hooper, and Paine. Graduates and students fought in the Revolutionary War, American Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, and the Vietnam War, and plaques and statues in the school building honor those who died.
The Hall of Fame, known casually as "The Wall," refers to the upper frieze in the school's auditorium, where the last names of famous alumni are painted. These names include Adams, Bernstein, Fitzgerald, Franklin, Hancock, Hooper, John Hull, Kennedy, Mather, Paine, Quincy, Santayana, Winthrop, and many others.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Boston Latin School", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0
